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Deaf People in Russia fight to Make Themselves Heard

With Stalin’s scorn and Soviet indifference, deaf people in Russia have not had an easy time. Even now, they live in limbo. Russian sign language is not officially recognized, and many say social attitudes can be a problem too.

Deaf people in the country want Russian sign language to be accorded the status of an official minority language. A recent conference devoted to the problems of people with disabilities attracted attention to the challenges faced by the hearing impaired.

Deaf actor Aleksey Znamensky cannot hear a song and yet he can sing it – with his hands. He says that he speaks the most beautiful language in the world.